9 Ways To Be Healthier Now

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(BlackDoctor.org) — Getting healthy doesn’t necessarily mean turning your whole life upside down. There are simple adjustments that can be made to your daily routine to get you trucking down the road to a healthier, happier you.

Try incorporating the following simple, yet effective health tips into your life.

1. Choose fruit to quell a sweet tooth. Fresh berries and yogurt, an apple with peanut butter or a simple fruit smoothie all pack nutrition and sweetness into a low-calorie package. Most of the time, these fruity treats do the trick.

2. Add fruit to pancakes, waffles, ice cream and other desserts. If you’re going to go with a sweet breakfast treat like pancakes, add fruit to it. Try pouring one serving of blueberries (per person) into the batter. Top the finished product with another 2-3 servings of fresh fruit: bananas, blackberries, strawberries, chopped apples, pears—anything you like. Pancakes doused in syrup aren’t exactly a healthy breakfast, but by adding some low-cal, filling, antioxidant-powered fruit to the meal, you can get in some good nutrition along with your sugar fix. Same goes with ice cream. Try to add one serving of fruit to a serving of ice cream. It “stretches” your dessert further and boosts the nutrition of the final product.

3. Practice good posture in front of the computer. Set up your desk so that your computer screen is higher (to discourage slumping and slouching). Try to keep your back straight and abs engaged (belly button pulled toward the spine). Good posture, believe it or not, takes a lot of work. Most of us don’t have the strength and endurance to maintain proper posture (while standing or sitting) for very long, so it’s something to work on developing. If you have trouble sitting with good posture, start small. Set a few reminders on your computer (or a sticky note on your planner) to remind you to think about it and readjust throughout the day. Your posture will improve, your core will be stronger and you just might experience less pain in your neck, shoulders and lower back, too.

4. Sit on a stability ball. You can make this one small change at home or at work. Sitting on a stability ball will help you sit with better posture and encourage you to keep your abs engaged for better balance and core strength. You can sit on the ball while you watch TV, use the computer at home, or sit at work. If you’re going to be sitting, you might as well make it work for you!